


The Heart of the Starks: One in a Trillion

by lisa912



Series: The Heart of the Starks [4]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Ending, Alternate Universe, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Family Feels, Finally, Gen, Happy Ending, Harley Keener is Pepper Potts's Biological Child, Harley Keener is Tony Stark's Biological Child, Hurt/Comfort, Illnesses, Miracles, Peter Parker is Pepper Potts's Biological Child, Peter Parker is Tony Stark's Biological Child, Terminal Illnesses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-12
Updated: 2020-06-12
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:48:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24684862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lisa912/pseuds/lisa912
Summary: Sequel toThe Heart of the StarksandThe Heart of the Starks: DownfallAlternate ending to the previous story. Peter goes on a field trip at school against his father's liking -- but it might bring a twist of fate that nobody had expected.(Based on MCU. Alternate Universe in which Pepper and Tony are married and had Harley, Peter, and Morgan as their biological children.)
Relationships: Harley Keener & Peter Parker, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Pepper Potts, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Series: The Heart of the Starks [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1507967
Comments: 4
Kudos: 114





	The Heart of the Starks: One in a Trillion

**Author's Note:**

> This is the alternate ending to the series! I actually ideated this one as I wrote _Downfall_ and finished writing this before I worked on the second chapter of _Aftermath_. I thought about uploading this first but I wanted to wait until I was officially done with the original ending for a couple of reasons (you'll find out about that in the note at the end of this story). And so, here I am now, finally revealing this to you guys!
> 
> I really hope this makes up for all the tears you've shed for the previous parts! X)

Harley knew the moment it was announced: Peter was not going to let it go. And he couldn't really blame him -- it was freakin' Oscorp. It was not everyday one got to see what is going on inside one of the most prestigious scientific facilities in the United States -- yes, that was a fact no matter how hard Tony would object. Peter was practically dying (shit, that was a very wrong choice of word) to go there. But Harley also knew that there was no way their father will allow the boy to go on a field trip. Now the question was who was going to win.

“Dad, please,” Peter was practically begging. Harley thought he was one second away from actually getting down on his knees. “This is just one field trip. It’s not even like we’re going to stay the night there or anything.”

“No,” Tony said. “You practically had to stay in bed for the entire weekend.”

Peter threw his arms in exasperation.

“But you know that this is most likely my last--”

Peter stopped himself but it was too late. The damage was already done. Tony froze and snapped his head at the boy while Harley internally spat out an automatic ‘shit’. By the look on Peter’s face, he could see that his brother most likely did the same. Morgan also stopped what she was doing and gasped. ‘Last’, ‘final’, and any words along that line were forbidden ever since Peter’s condition was revealed. The way Tony glared at him was… painful. So much pain and anger -- that all of them knew so well that it wasn’t directed toward Peter -- in those wide eyes could compare to nothing.

“Dad,” Peter whispered, clearly in an attempt to clean up the mess he had just created.

Harley truthfully thought that his father was going to explode -- whether it was from sorrow or from anger. However, Tony kept looking at Peter for what seemed like a good minute before he wordlessly pulled him into a firm hug. He buried his face in the boy’s hair. Peter had no choice but to let his father hold onto him so tightly. So he returned the embrace. Harley had a strong urge to look away from the scene. 

“Oh, my boy,” Tony mumbled into Peter’s hair. 

“I’m sorry,” Peter’s voice was muffled in the embrace. “I-- I didn’t mean to--”

Harley knew what his father was afraid of. Peter’s state had drastically gone worse in the previous few days. And although Peter had been looking forward to this particular field trip, it was going to take a toll on the said boy’s body in one way or another. It didn’t matter if it was a simple tour of science labs. Harley was with his dad on this one. He too feared for his brother’s health. He didn’t want Peter to have an unnecessary strain on his body. Logically, it was not negotiable.

But at the same time…. No matter how difficult it was to admit, Peter was right. Regardless of how hard Harley wanted to deny it, it was most likely going to be Peter’s last field trip. And if Harley has the guts to deprive his brother of something he loved so much was unquestionable. He just couldn’t.

Harley sighed out loud before speaking up.

“I’ll keep an eye on him,” he offered.

Tony and Peter turned their heads simultaneously to look at Harley. Harley could see the conflict and hesitation in his father’s eyes.

“If he gets enough rest by then, he will be in a better state. It’s the decathlon field trip. I’m going too anyway,” said Harley. Then he looked straight at Peter. "If I see it exhausting you, we come home straight away. No buts.”

The way Peter looked at Harley was filled with gratitude. Harley met his gaze but he still held a concerned frown on his face. He questioned himself if it was the right choice. His heart was heavily weighed down by the endless concerns about all the possible risks of this outcome. A part of him might have even hoped for his dad to turn it down.

Both boys turned their eyes to Tony. It was clear that Tony was having an inner debate on the decision. There was a good minute of consideration before he sighed.

“Alright,” he said. “You can go, but only after you take a good rest and you have to be careful.”

“Thank you. Thank you, Dad,” said Peter. He once again wrapped his arms around his father’s waist. He then looked back at Harley to say, “Thanks, Harley.”

Harley could only nod albeit in a rather disapproving way. He just hoped that everything would work out. 

And it seemed to when Peter managed to pull through the entire day without any visible worsening of his condition. If anything, he was actually quite excited that he seemed to have forgotten that he was sick at all. It was like having the cheerful energetic boy that he used to be before all of the disasters happened. Harley was even glad, from moment to moment, that he got to bring Peter along. Everything seemed great. 

Until….

“Harley.”

Harley looked up from his book and note papers at the AI’s voice. He was in his room working on his homework. The AI continued.

“It appears Peter is in a critical condition.”

Harley didn’t even spare a mere second to shout out a shocked ‘What?’ that came to his mind as he shot up from where he was sitting and ran through the door. He busted Peter’s door open. 

What met his eyes was a living nightmare. Peter was on the floor on all fours. One of his hands was covering his nose and mouth while the other one planted on the floor to support his body. He was in a violent coughing fit as well. 

“Peter?”

Harley rushed to his side.

“Peter!” he called out in panic. He placed his arms around Peter. Sweat covered the younger boy’s face as heat radiated off his body. There were stains of blood around him, having flooded out of his hand that was on his nose and mouth. 

“What’s wrong, Pete?” Harley ranted in desperation. “What hurts?”

“E-- everything,” Peter said. It was more like he gritted out. Harley didn't need another sign to tell that Peter was in an immense amount of pain. Peter grabbed the sleeve of Harley's shirt. "Hurts-- it hurts-- so much--"

Peter was panting hard. Then he let out a cry.

"Shit," Harley muttered. His mind was all jumbled up and lost on what he should do. So he held his brother tightly.

"Harley," Peter managed through clenched teeth. His voice made it very clear that he was crying. "It hurts. Hurts, Harley."

Harley felt like crying himself. Yet, his natural instinct took control and kept it together. So he turned his head toward the open door and called out.

"MOM! DAD!" He shouted. He didn't wait for any response before he addressed the AI.

"FRIDAY, call Mom and Dad!" He barked out the order. "Call an ambulance, too!"

"Already done, sir," the feminine voice answered with a sign of urgency. 

Soon enough, both of their parents came running into the room.

"Oh my god," Pepper breathed. She and Tony hurried their way to their son. "What's going on?"

Harley didn't get to answer. Frankly, he didn't mind ignoring the question. In a more accurate term, he wasn't even aware of what his parents were saying. All he really cared about was Peter who was struggling to catch his breath through the non-stop stream of coughs. 

"Pete?" Tony called to his son, cupping the boy's face in his hands. "Peter, look at me. Can you do that?"

Peter seemingly tried to do as he was asked to. When he finally got a moment of break, he lowered his hand as he looked up at his family. Breathing heavily, he gripped at his father's arm and hung tightly to it. With a single brief glance, Harley noticed how red Peter's hand was. Yet, it was nothing compared to the bloody mess covering the lower part of his face. 

Harley was freaking out. It was more severe and intense than any other day Peter had been sick. All he could do was just stay frozen in his kneeling posture as his parents tried to calm the boy down. 

Peter briefly stopped coughing and gasped several times for air. But a moment later, he once again heaved and threw up some more blood mixed with some of his stomach contents. It stained Tony’s clothes and the floor.

“Oh, god,” Peter gasped. “I’m-- I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.”

“Hey,” Tony shushed him. “Hey, hey, hey. Don’t worry about it. It’s okay, buddy.”

Peter, however, kept apologizing frantically as he cried. He coughed a little more before his body seemingly began to gradually lose energy. Then, not a minute later, his arm gave out and his entire body went limp and fell to its side.

“Peter?”

“Peter!”

“Oh my god, Peter!”

Tony, Pepper, and Harley all respectively called the now unconscious boy’s name desperately. Tony tried to shake Peter awake, but the teen did not respond. Thus, he collected Peter in his arms. Pepper was crying as she kept calling Peter while Harley could not do anything but stare at his brother with tears falling down his face. As all hell broke loose, only one thought filled his mind.

Shit.

* * *

  
  


Harley sat quietly in the chair, feeling as if he was sinking downward endlessly. His gaze was fixed on his brother's still body laid on the bed. There were muffled voices from outside the closed door.

"See, that's why I didn't want him to go on that field trip!" Tony was ranting.

"Tony, calm down," was Pepper speaking. 

"He almost died, Pep. He literally almost died."

Harley decided to shut the voices out of his ears. The conversation heating up was the last thing he needed; it only intensified the heavy guilt that was already plaguing him for the entire day. 

Peter had passed out before the ambulance could get there on time. Tony frantically carried the teen to the medical floor of the building, where the team of resident researchers and medics looked him over. Through multiple tests and examinations, it was proven that Peter was in quite a critical condition. He almost flatlined at one point, freaking the heck out of Harley and his parents. His body suffered from a high fever. Everything was way off. Right in the middle of the crisis did the paramedics arrive. At that moment, it was too risky for Peter to be moved to a hospital. Thus, Tony decided to keep him in the building. Now Peter was lying in one of the individual rooms that were only a few floors down his own bedroom.

Harley was barely keeping himself from breaking down. Right before his eyes was his own bother lying on the large hospital bed. A ventilator tube was inserted down his throat and a heart monitor patched on numerous spots on his body. And IV bag hung beside the bed, to which a tube was connected that reached the needle that stuck out on Peter's arm. Peter was so still and pale as if he had no life left in him. The only movement was his chest's rising and descending as the ventilator circulated the air in his lungs. The only sounds were the whirring of various machines and the continuous beeping that indicated Peter's heart status.

Harley knew it. It was his fault. Everything -- from Peter going on the field trip against his father's wishes to him almost dying and their parents freaking out -- was on him. Regrets flooded in his mind and heart. All the 'should have's and 'shouldn't have's piled up in a list. And he was on the verge of bursting into tears. The only thing that was keeping him from breaking down was the fact that he had no right to do so. After all the things he had caused, he was the very last person who was allowed to show weakness.

The door opened with a small click and soft footsteps approached him. Harley didn't turn to check who it was. The person came toward him and softly placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Harley," Pepper said quietly. "Why don't you get some rest, honey?"

Harley didn't take any action. He didn't respond and he didn't even look at his mother. He simply stayed still in his seat.

"Harley," Pepper called again.

Harley knew that he had to show some kind of acknowledgment on her presence, so he collected all the energy to whisper, "I'm fine."

Pepper quietly looked down at Harley. She did not say a word. Instead, she sat down on the empty chair next to Harley's. She placed her gaze on her younger son's still form and took a minute in quiet. Harley was still as a stone, without any movement or change from his posture -- his eyes were fixed only on Peter and his body was tense.

"It's been a long, hard day," Pepper said quietly after a long silence.

Harley remained speechless but silently agreed with her. For some reason, he knew that she somehow knew it, too.

There was another soundless moment between them. Sitting in an identical posture, the two of them were as still as the unconscious boy. After who-knows-how-long, Pepper spoke up.

"Don't be so hard on yourself," she said. Her quiet voice was flat. Judging only by the sound itself, it sounded more of a matter-of-fact. Yet, in Harley's ears, it held so much warmth, affection, and strength that Pepper never spared her kids from. And those elements were also what made her words sharper than any weapon in his heart. 

"It's not your fault."

Wasn't it? Harley asked himself sarcastically. How can it be not his fault? Only if he hadn't insisted on bringing Peter along to the field trip... 

This one thought threw Harley toward his edge. It was the trigger that only reminded him of what he had caused.

"It wasn't your fault," Pepper repeated. She turned her head and looked at her son. "And you know it."

No, was Harley's answer, although he didn't say it out loud. No, he didn't know it because no, it wasn't true. Whose fault was it if it wasn't Harley's? Was it Peter's, for he was the one who got sick? Was it the school's, for planning this stupid field trip in the first place? Was it Tony's, for not stopping them when he had the chance? All of them were irrelevant. All of these weren't that important, because Harley himself had both the ability and the chance to prevent it. 

That was what hurt him the most; that he was the one that had possibly reduced the time Peter had that was already running out in the first place. That was the very thing that made him want to cry so badly but also the fact that stopped himself from doing so. And it pushed him so far on the edge.

"Harley," Pepper said softly.

"Don't," Harley choked. He didn't really intend to break his stance -- it was more of a defense mechanism that was trying to protect him from falling off and break down. "Please, just-- can you please stop saying that?"

Pepper looked at him with pity in her eyes.

"Harley, I know it's hard. It's hard for all of us," she said. "But you're taking it as harder than you should. It's not on you."

With it, Harley was thrown off the cliff. And the moment he was, he explodes.

"But it is!" He shouted, looking at Pepper for the first time. Tears took no time welling up in his eyes. They fell instantly, streaming down his cheeks. "I should have never done it. I should have-- I should have stopped him from going."

"Harley," Pepper tried to cut him off, in an attempt to soothe him. It didn't work.

"It's my fault. Don't you say that it's not," Harley gritted out in between cries through clenched teeth. "It's all my fault."

He buried his face in his hands and sobbed. His shoulders shook as he let all the guilt and fear burst out. A part of him screamed at himself to stop and conceal them; reminding that he had no right to let it all down. Bearing those burdens was the punishment he was to give himself. He wasn't supposed to run from it.

Pepper let out a shaky breath before kneeling in front of Harley. She had her own tears in her eyes slowly starting to fall. She reached her arms forward and pulled him into an embrace. She slowly maneuvered to move his head into the crook of her shoulders. Her hands rubbed and patted softly and rhythmically on his back. Harley didn't resist as he kept weeping in her arms. Pepper wordlessly held him, shedding her own tears through closed eyes.

"Harley," she whispered. "It is not your fault."

Harley could not talk as he sniffled. Pepper hugged him tightly. She ran her hand through his hair, caressing him like she often did when he was a mere child. 

For five whole minutes, the only sounds that filled the hospital room were the regular noises of the machines and Harley's suppressed cries. Those five minutes was the time Harley spent trying to collect himself. When he finally did so, he straightened his body and got out of his mother's arms. Still, he refused to meet her eyes. 

"Sweetie," Pepper softly called. She stroked his cheek as she attempted to get him to look at her. She successfully turned his face toward her, but his eyes were still cast downward.

"Look at me," Pepper whispered softly.

It took a moment until Harley slowly turned his eyes up and looked her in the eyes. 

Pepper warmly but firmly locked her gaze on his.

"It is not your fault," she said once again. "You got that?"

Harley didn't say a word. He didn't deny it, either. It was more like he was still hesitating between accepting the words and telling himself otherwise.

Pepper didn't push him. She patiently waited for the boy to come to his own conclusion. Harley lowered his eyes again.

"He said it for the first time," he mumbled, trembling as if he was using all his energy to speak. "It was the first time that he said something hurt."

He sobbed and wiped his face. 

"I couldn't... I couldn't do anything to help. I couldn't do anything...."

Pepper watched the boy stutter and fumble on his words with the utmost sympathy on her face.

Harley sniffled a couple more times before he took a shaky breath, shaking his head. 

"Dad's right..." He said. "He should have never gone to that field trip. I should have... I should have never convinced him."

"Harley."

"I should have... Just..." Harley couldn't finish the sentence. He took a moment before he scoffed skeptically. "I just make everything worse."

"Harley," Pepper said sternly as she grabbed his head with both her hands and turned it so that he would look at her. She looked into his eyes intently for a few seconds before she pulled him into another hug.

"Don't you think about it that way," She said. Her voice was gentle but stern. "You did not have anything to do with it."

She let go of him and backed away a little to look at his face.

"Always, there are a lot of 'should have been's. There are a lot of regrets. What happened to Peter should not be one of yours. They come because we don't know what's going to happen when. It's easy to pick out what went wrong after things happen. But it's impossible to know beforehand. Harley, you're smart. You know this. It is not your fault. And you already know it."

There was a brief pause as Pepper held Harley's hand in hers.

"Deep down, you already know that it was something out of your control. You just have to admit it. And admitting it doesn't mean you're running away from the consequence. It means you are facing the reality of life. You only did what you thought was best for Peter at the moment. You never wanted to harm him. That's what matters."

Although it took some time for Harley to really accept the words, he eventually did. He nodded and sighed.

"He almost..." He began but could not dare finish the sentence. With Peter's physical state, the mere thinking of the word 'death' felt ominous enough.

"He's going to be alright," Pepper said instead. She offered a sad smile in the best way she could. 

Both of them knew that it was only a relative matter. Peter's death sentence was an already established fact. 

Harley could only try to ignore it with an obvious false hope as he nodded again.

* * *

  
  


Peter stayed unconscious for three whole days -- which were not as peaceful as everyone hoped. There were more alarming beepings of machines and crashing of Peter's system than they liked. The doctors were not able to remove the ventilator until the second day. The high fever did not cool down until the third evening. Every single day Peter looked pale and lifeless. Endless tests were conducted over and over again every three hours. 

This chaotic experience, however, headed toward a direction that nobody -- absolutely nobody -- expected. This nightmare of three days was coming to an end as the oncologist, the one that had been designated to treat Peter, showed Tony, Pepper, and Harley an image while the three of them stared at the doctor in disbelief.

"I can't express it in any other way," he said. "I don't know how... It's-- It's a miracle, I should say."

"So it is true?" Tony asked hastily. "The cancer's gone?"

It didn't make any sense. Cancer could not just magically disappear over a few days without any active treatment. Thus, nobody believed when the medical staff claimed that the cancer cells in Peter's body might be disappearing. There was no way anyone would buy it. But that did rekindle a trace of hope in the family's hearts. Even if they didn't think it was possible, they couldn't help wishing for a miracle.

That miracle was confirmed by the doctor the next day.

"It appears that way," replied the oncologist. "We've run multiple tests to make sure. There is no trace of cancer left in his body."

Tony's mouth fell open while Pepper gasped loudly, covering her mouth with both her hands. Harley felt a little faint. He felt like he had been smacked hard on his head -- as if he was dreaming or hallucinating. It was like he forgot how to breathe altogether. 

"How-- " Tony asked blankly.

"That is something we cannot answer," the doctor said. He looked as equally confused as anyone in the room. "It just happened. All his vitals are back to normal. In fact, he is healthier than any normal person right now."

Tony and Pepper looked at each other with shocked expressions on their faces. 

"Is there any chance that he was exposed to radiation or some kind of chemical, medicinal environment?"

Tony turned to look at Harley. Harley thought for a moment. The only thing that could have affected Peter in such a way was the field trip to the Oscorp Tower. He began to recall their schedule of the tour.

"I-- I don't know," he stammered. "I'm not sure what..."

Seeing that Harley could not give a clear answer, Tony turned back to the doctor.

"Are you sure?"

The doctor nodded.

"Very positive," he said. "We've done the test 10 times already and the results are all the same."

That was when Tony was finally able to let out a small tearful laugh of joy. He rubbed his face as his eyes shed tears. Pepper exclaimed a series of "Oh my god"s in between her cries. Harley barely managed to stand up straight. He also felt like crying. The mixture of disbelief, relief, joy, and a small trace of fear (in case it doesn't turn out in such way) overwhelmed him so suddenly that it almost felt like he could physically feel the weight of it. Tears welled up as he turned his head to look at Peter, who was yet to wake up and was sleeping soundly on the bed.

Pepper was fully crying when she hugged the doctor and repeatedly appreciated him. Tony did so as well.

The oncologist gave a smile and a shrug of his shoulders. He didn't try to claim credits for Peter's recovery. He only told the Starks that he would have to keep an eye on Peter for a few more days.

"But everything looks hopeful," he said. "I gotta say, I've never seen a case like this in my life. There's no logical explanation for it. It's a miracle. There's no other way to put it."

He then walked out of the room, allowing the news to settle among the now rejoicing family. Pepper looked at Tony and broke into a big hug. Tony held her and breathed in the hope. When the two of them broke apart, Pepper turned to Harley and hugged him. Harley immediately returned the embrace, wrapping his arms tightly around his mother. Tony also had his turn after her. He held his oldest son firmly in his arms, kissing the top of his head. 

Meanwhile, Pepper approached the bed and held Peter's hand. She grabbed it tightly and planted a kiss on it.

A small gasp came from Peter's mouth.

Everyone froze. Pepper fixed her wide eyes on the boy's face while Tony and Harley hurried to the bedside.

Peter's eyelids slowly opened. His eyes moved this way and that, most likely adjusting to the light that he had not seen for the past few days. It took a few moments before his eyes settled firmly on his family.

"Mom...?"

His hoarse voice barely managed to whisper.

"Dad...?"

"Mornin' Pete," Tony said, grinning most genuinely than he ever did in the past couple of months. His eyes were quickly welling up.

Peter slowly turned his head toward the window on the wall. It showed the outside view where the sky was turning a slight orange, ready to see the sun off for the night. He raised an eyebrow slowly and looked back at Tony.

"I wouldn't call it 'morning', Dad," he said. 

"Yeah, well, you've been sleeping for three days. I think we get to call this a morning," Tony countered in a gentle, soothing manner. He softly caressed Peter's hair and cheek.

"That long, huh?" Peter said, looking a little taken aback. He then puts on an apologetic expression as he looks from Tony to Peper and then to Harley.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. 

Pepper shook her head as she smiled. A strand of tear made its way all the way down her cheek.

"It's okay, honey," she said. "It's okay. You're okay."

She leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on Peter's forehead. The moment her lips touched his skin, Peter softly closed his eyes as if he was trying to feel it as deeply as he could. 

"How are you feeling?" She asked once she straightened herself again.

"A little hazy," Peter answered. It came out more as a drawl. "Not exactly sleepy, but like I'm high on something."

Both parents lovingly and caringly look at the boy, taking in their child's conscious face.

Peter must have felt more or less awkward by such gaze, for he darted his eyes among the three people in the room before adding, "I'm feeling good now. Maybe it's the long sleep I had or whatever drugs they got me on, but I'm actually feeling okay."

Pepper and Tony nodded. If it was just a day ago, they would have dismissed his comment as his attempt to fend off their worries. Yet, after hearing from the doctor that Peter was likely to make a full recovery, they were just able to accept his words as they are. 

The lack of words from his parents spurred uneasiness in Peter. So he turned to Harley, eyes pleading for help.

"You're quiet," Peter offered somewhat jokingly. 

Harley, who had been standing one step behind, merely observing everything met Peter's eyes for the first time. The moment he looked into his brother's eyes, however, the image of him hunched over in pain while spiling blood overlapped instantly. His breath stopped and he immediately looked away.

The apologetic smile that Peter had plastered on his face fell slightly at Harley's reaction. He couldn't really blame him, for he did remember right before he lost consciousness. Although most things were blurred by the immense pain that was ripping through his body, he could recall that Harley was the first one who came to his side, and it didn't require a lot of effort to guess just how panicked and scared he must have been.

Peter reached his hand out toward Harley but flinched at the last moment like he was hesitating. His mouth was slightly ajar, probably to call out his name, but no sound was made. In the end, it was just a pair of sad eyes fixed on Harley's slouched figure.

Both Tony and Pepper sensed the gloomy mood between their sons. Pepper was the first to act upon it by walking over to Harley and smoothly rubbing his back to comfort him. She pulled her oldest child in her arms and gently guided him to the bedside.

Harley let his mother move him but he still refused to look directly at Peter. 

"Sweetie," Pepper softly whispered to him, gently running her hand up and down on his arm. "It's okay. He's okay."

Harley bit his lips before mustering up all the bits and pieces of courage left in his body to meet Peter's gaze. When the two boys finally took a good look at each other, despite the painful and scary images that threatened to crawl back into the front of his mind, he could really see that Peter was -- at least for the moment -- truly okay. And it gave him the strength to offer a tearful smirk.

"Hey, bro," he managed to say. "About time you woke up."

That may have not been as sarcastic and humorous as it usually was, it did manage to crack a small smile on Peter's face.

"Hey," he said. "I missed you."

Harley was about to automatically respond with the same exact words, but he stops himself and replaces them with those of his usual banter-kind.

"Don't go all softy-feely on me," he said, forcing his facial muscles to mockingly scrunch up. Still, he couldn't help himself adding in the end, "I missed you, too, Pete."

Peter grinned and held out a hand. Harley grabbed it and gave it a slight squeeze, putting all his thoughts and affection toward his brother in it.

The moment didn't last long as Peter and Harley soon let go of each other. Peter turned his eyes to his parents.

"Where's Morgan?"

"She's with Happy back on the penthouse floor," Pepper answered softly. "She did come to see you everyday."

"Yeah, I guessed that," Peter said with a smile, his eyes briefly moving to the small pile of colorful paper flowers on his bedside table.

"Pete," Tony said.

Peter turned his attention back to him.

"Everything... Everything's gonna be okay. You're gonna be okay," he said, his eyes intently looking into Peter's.

Peter gives him a questioning look for a moment but puts on a reassuring smile.

"Yeah," he said. "It's gonna be okay. I feel it, too."

* * *

  
  


"You scared me that day," said Harley.

He was sitting on a chair beside Peter's bed. Peter had the bed folded so he could lean his back on the surface while sitting on it. He was looking down at his fingers, which were wiggling in a slightly nervous manner.

It was a few days after Peter had finally woken up from his slumber. From the very next day, he was in his full health -- colors had returned to his face, he was full of energy, and he had no problem moving around. In fact, he looked even better than he ever was in his life. He could eat anything and everything with a much-increased appetite, and he had begun to complain about being stuck within the hospital wing. The only reason he was still confined inside the room was to go through the final tests that will confirm his physical state. Fortunately, he had Harley and Morgan to keep him company as they visited him every single day.

"I know," Peter answered timidly. "I'm so sorry about that."

Harley shook his head.

"It's not like you did that on purpose. You were sick," he said.

"Yeah," said Peter. "I was."

His words trailed off at the end, dragging the two boys into a short silence.

"It feels weird," Peter said after a moment.

"What does?"

"That I'm not... sick anymore."

Harley lets the words linger in his brains. It keeps echoing like it was trying to convince the remnants of Harley's inner doubts. The more tests Peter went through, the clearer it became that Peter was free from his illness. Yet, the entire situation seemed like an impossibility to believe it is true.

"No," he finally said. "You're not."

"I never even imagined..." Peter began. "It still doesn't feel real. I'm glad that I'm not going to die so soon, that I can live on, but... I sometimes think if I'm dreaming or if this is just an illusion."

Harley pursed his lips tightly. 

"Me, too," he said. "I'm relieved that I don't have to lose you. I'm glad that you'll be able to live. But is it really the reality?"

Peter let out a shaky breath that was something in the middle of a sigh and a laugh. 

"Who would have thought? That one field trip was going to get me a cure to freaking cancer?" He said.

"I certainly didn't," Harley replied. "If anything... I thought you were going to.... going to die."

Peter closed his mouth shut and looked at Harley. Harley, however, was looking down at the floor. After having a short momentary pause, Harley continued.

"And it was my fault."

"Harley," Peter began but was immediately cut off by Harley.

"No, it was my fault. If I hadn't convinced Dad to let you go to the field trip, you wouldn't have to go through... We all didn't have to go through that-"

"But if I stayed behind, then I'd still be sick."

Harley cut his word and snapped his eyes to Peter. Peter was looking softly yet sternly at him.

"If I didn't go, then I... I would still have died."

Harley instantly tries to refute but no words come out of his mouth -- for it is true that the field trip was most likely what caused this miracle. 

"If anything, you saved my life by taking me on the field trip."

Peter's voice has a strength that heavily gravitates the words to sink deeply in Harley's heart. And it stops him from even trying to make any objection.

"And I thank you for that," said Peter. He looks intently into Harley's eyes for a few seconds before showing a mischievous goofy grin. "That simple bug-bite cured me."

Harley cannot but snort a short laugh along with him.

"Speaking of which, you should have told us the moment you knew. If it was an ordinary poisonous spider, we don't know what would have happened."

Peter shrugged with a smirk.

"Another proof that I'm the luckiest person in the entire world."

Harley scoffed.

"Yeah. First, you go on a field trip and gets bitten by some scientifically-modified spider. It just so happens to have been radioactive, so the poison, instead of killing you, killed your cancer cells. What kind of a cheap fantasy novel is this?" 

"I'm one-in-a-billion kind of guy, apparently," said Peter, straightening his back and shoulders as if to show off his pride about it.

Harley rolled his eyes, shaking his head.

"More like one in a trillion."

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> A/N: As I already mentioned in the previous one, I will be posting more stories that continue on from this. After all, he just got bitten and got better -- there's only one outcome we can have from it, right? A rise of a certain new superhero, hmm?
> 
> I have a bit of sad news regarding this series, though. I have other fics that I have posted here right now, and I've taken too much delay with it. So I'll be focusing on finishing up those (mainly _Part of the Team_ and _Dad_ for now), which means it will take some time for me to write this series. But hopefully, I'm putting a lot of time into writing these days and I think I might be able to catch up on a lot of stuff. I'll try not to make the wait too long. (If you're curious about my other fics, please do check them out as well! :))
> 
> Always, thank you so much for reading my fiction and showing your love for it! I cannot thank you enough for all the attention and support you've given me. They really give me strengths to go on.
> 
> Wherever you are, I hope you are staying safe and wish you a great weekend!
> 
> Best, Lisa :)


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